By Terri Canis
As part of my operation of the website StlExercise.com, I constantly seek fitness tips from local trainers and fitness gurus. This month, I have included tips from Rachel Bergman of Wholefit TM. Her area of expertise is bootcamp and one-on-one personal training. Rachel has been a runner and fitness enthusiast for approximately18 years. She started personal fitness training 5 years ago.
Rachel originally became involved in the exercise field at the age of 12 after observing family members struggle to do everyday chores due to their morbid obesity. Rachel recalls their daily challenges. “They struggled to get up and down stairs as well as play with their children. Their weight affected their jobs, their relationships, and nearly every aspect of their life.” Rachel’s personal goal from that point was to improve individuals’ lifestyles through exercise.
When looking into starting an exercise routine, Rachel suggests asking yourself several discovery questions: 1) WHEN is your most convenient TIME to exercise? 2) WHAT FORM of fitness would you like to try? 3) WHAT might be keeping you from staying committed to exercise? Rachel recommends jogging or participating in bootcamps for a cardio workout and integrating a recreational complex or community swimming pool into your strength training.
To further results, Rachel emphasizes the importance of lifting heavy weights. She recommends starting with a difficult but manageable weight amount and to lift 20 times for 6 weeks in a row. Once you have accomplished this goal, you should start lifting heavier weights and decrease your reps.
Rachel also encourages you to implement the “add and take away strategy”. Try to add a new vegetable, exercise, class or experience, and then take away something such as a junk food, lunch at a fast food restaurant, or a soda. She says that it is essential to “walk away from the things that are not good for your body and turn away from those things that are not good for your soul.”
StlExercise.com wants you to have access to knowledgeable experts like Rachel. Whether you are looking for the motivation to exercise or want to integrate new St. Louis based activities into your health and fitness routine, StlExercise.com will provide you with the resources to help achieve your personal goals!
Rachel Bergman can be contacted at (636) 751-1552, e-mail: rachel@wholefit.org and Terri Canis can be reached at (314) 369-7176, e-mail: stlexercise@yahoo.com.